Atticus had misspoken, but he could still salvage it.
"She was trying to fight him off, even without magic," Atticus said simply. "Eugene Attonson was using his powers to toy with her and he wanted to take her away. He clearly wasn’t expecting me to show up."
Atticus did not mention how the baby griffin tried to find him, calling for help. If this group of vultures knew they had something so valuable, they’d stop at nothing to snatch it away.
"Then we fought and I won using the jewels Daphne brought in," Atticus continued, lying easily through his teeth. "And then the maze detected magic use and all of you came running. Fat load of good it did though. So many of you and you couldn’t even arrest one criminal that I had helpfully subdued already."
"Why didn’t Queen Daphne break the clear quartz crystal though?" Someone else pointed out. "Surely that would have summoned help."
"Exactly!" Alistair said victoriously. "I’m telling you, they’re all liars!"
"Well, according to Daphne, Eugene Attonson told her that the quartz would summon a guard, but since he was already posing as a guard, the maze would assume that her request was already taken care of."
"Is that true?" King Calarian asked wonderingly.
Prince Nathaniel nodded grimly. "That is indeed how the maze works. I do not know why such a man might tell Queen Daphne the truth, but I see that we are dealing with no ordinary criminal. Such knowledge is not known to most, not even to royalty. Whoever Eugene Attonson is, he must have been planning this for a long time."
A solemn silence enveloped the room as they digested this chilling realization.
"We will adjourn this meeting for now. For the safety of you and your people, I would advise against wandering alone" Prince Nathaniel continued. "King Atticus, may I have a moment of your time?"
Everyone else filed out of the room. King Calarian patted his shoulder as he left.
Then they were alone.
"Are you going to interrogate me further?" Atticus demanded, crossing his arms belligerently.
"If that is how you want to put it, yes," Prince Nathaniel said coolly. "I sensed inconsistencies in your recounting, and I’m sure you have not told me everything about Eugene Attonson’s character and his abilities. Or your wife’s."
"What are you implying?"
"The maze never makes mistakes," Prince Nathaniel said resolutely. "Three magical signatures implies three people who used magic."
"You’re looking in the wrong direction," Atticus said. "If my wife could use magic all this time, why would she hide it and endure a life of ridicule? Eugene was one count, I’ll gladly admit to the other. But the third clearly belongs to someone else... "
"No one can harness magic without their crystals," Prince Nathaniel rebutted.
"Maybe they are simply hiding their true abilities. Or more likely, they smuggled it in with help from their companions," Atticus rebutted easily. "If a lady sneaks a ring in between her bosoms, would anyone be gutsy enough to check?"
Prince Nathaniel nodded, conceding the point.
"And I’m not going to tell everyone what Eugene is capable of." Atticus returned with a scoff. "Especially when I know the culprit is most likely sitting right among us!"
"Prince Alistair seems remarkably adamant about keeping me out of the investigation," Prince Nathaniel said, and they exchanged a knowing glance.
"Perhaps he really is in love with you," Atticus mused. "Now that my wife is off-limits, you might want to try for her brother. They do have pretty similar features."
"Your jests are in poor taste," Prince Nathaniel said, giving him an appalled look. "Even if I preferred men, I would never go for him. I am not blind. Never speak of this again."
"You could try seducing the truth from him," Atticus continued as though Prince Nathaniel had not spoken, loving the look of disgust on his face. "And then you’ll be my future brother-in-law. How about that? I am sure Vramid and Raxuvia can be very good allies, joined by marriage."
"What does Queen Daphne see in you?" Prince Nathaniel asked wonderingly. Atticus’s mouth moved, but Nathaniel held out a hand. "Nevermind. I do not wish for a reply. But no matter what, you must know that I am your best bet for uncovering the truth."
Atticus huffed but otherwise said nothing. He, too, knew that Prince Nathaniel was at least a man of his word. His odd care for Daphne would also ensure that he would get to the bottom of this since Eugene Attonson had threatened Daphne’s safety.
Prince Nathaniel declared. "The faster I find this man, the quicker I can wash my hands off this scandal."
"Unless I find him first," Atticus said, his smile a single slash across his face.
"We shall see about that," Prince Nathaniel said. "Also, I wish to speak to Queen Daphne alone."
"Whatever for?" Atticus demanded, his hackles raised.
"To hear her side of the story," Prince Nathaniel said simply. He raised his eyebrow. "Unless... is there something I should not know about? Or have the both of you not gotten your stories straight and you’re afraid I’ll find out?"
Atticus scoffed. Damn, this Prince Nathaniel was sharp. But there was no choice; he had to play into his hand for now.
"I’m more concerned about her spending time alone with you," Atticus retorted. "The last time she did, she faced a rather unpleasant backlash despite her innocence. Feel free to question her, but I’ll be standing right there, watching the both of you."
"Perfect." Prince Nathaniel nodded and he opened the room door. He held a hand out, gesturing for Atticus to go first. "In that case, let us not waste any time. After you."
"We’re going now?" Atticus asked, baffled. He was hoping that Prince Nathaniel would wait till tomorrow at least, so he could have time to go over things with Daphne.
"Of course." Prince Nathaniel’s face didn’t shift, but Atticus detected a wave of smugness radiating from him. "We have no time to waste."